Device for selectively holding a door open



- v. May 1?), 1970 F. BARROERO 5 DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY HOLDING A DOOR OPEN Filed Dec; 1-8, 1967 FIGW3 'IIIIIIII ,9 I N VENTOR. se 20 LOUIS F BARROERO BY F 3-4 W W.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,512,820 DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY HOLDING A DOOR OPEN Louis F. Barroero, 1585 Daniels Drive, San Leandro, Calif. 94577 Filed Dec. 18, 1967, Ser. No. 691,425 Int. Cl. E05c 17/16 U.S. Cl. 292270 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for selectively holding a door open relative to a frame having a brace pivotally mounted on the frame and having an elongated aperture therein, a pin fixed to the door and slidable within the aperture as the door is opened and closed, and an arm pivotally mounted on the brace and pivotable to limit the movement of the pin to hold the door in its open position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device which allows selective holding of a door in an open position, and more particularly, to a device which utilizes a pivotable arm mounted to a brace to so hold the door.

Devices which are adapted to selectively hold a door open are useful in a variety of situations. For example, it may be necessary to work on a device which is enclosed within a casing having a door on it, or to load or unload items therewithin. Work on the device, or such loading and unloading, may become quite inconvenient if the door tends to close by itself (whether planned as by a spring, or unplanned as by a breeze).

Devices which are capable of selectively holding a door open are, of course, known (see, for example, U.S. Pat. 2,927,813 to Cooper, or US. Pat. 3,337,253 to Laukzemis). However, each of the devices disclosed in these patents has shortcomings. The device of U.S. Pat. 3,337,- 253 is relatively complicated, as a study of the drawings therein reveals, and through its complication, maybe subject to problems (such as jamming) which would not occur in a simpler device. The device of U.S. Pat. 2,927,813, while being relatively simple, depends for its effectiveness on gravity to urge an element into place. Since gravity is the activating force, the device is not adaptable for use in a variety of positions or use in a position even slightly varied from that shown in the drawings.

It is the object of this invention to provide a device which is capable of selectively holding a door in an open position, meanwhile being of extremely simple construction and capable of effectively operating in a variety of positions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Broadly stated, the device for selectively holding a door in an open position relative to a door frame comprises a brace pivotally mounted to one of the frame or door and defining an elongated aperture therein, and a pin in the other of the frame and door disposed within the aperture and slidable therewithin relative to the 'brace to a first position when the door is moved to an open position relative to the frame and to a second position when the door is moved to a closed position relative to the frame. Mounted on the brace are means selectively movable to limit the sliding movement of the pin relative to the brace from its first to its second position to hold the door in an open position, and selectively movable to allow sliding movement of the pin relative to the brace from its first to its second position, whereby the door may 'be moved to its closed position.

Patented May 19, 1970 ice BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a door 10 pivotally mounted at a hinge point 12 to a frame member 14. The door 10 shown in that figure is in the open position relative to the frame member 14, and is adapted to seat in the frame member 14 when it is closed, as shown in FIG. 2. A brace 16 is pivotally fixed to the frame member 14 by means of a pin 18. The brace 16 has an elongated aperture 20 therein which runs from adjacent one end thereof to adjacent the other end thereof. A pin or screw 22 is mounted to the door 10 and slidable to a first position A within the brace 16 as the door 10 is moved from its closed to its open position and to a second position B (FIG. 2) within the brace 16 as the door 10 is moved back to its closed position.

Pivotally mounted to the brace 16 is an arm 24. FIG. 1 shows the arm 24 in position C disposed along the brace 16 and out of the way of aperture 20. However, arm 24 is pivotable to a position so that a surface 28 of it is placed in the path of the pin 22 sliding in the aperture 20 when the door 10 has been opened. The arm 24 also includes a flange portion 26 along its length to limit the pivoting of the body thereof toward brace 16. The end surface 28 of the arm 24 is of substantially arcuate concave configuration. In this particular embodiment it has been found advantageous to dispose hinge point 12 and pin 18 equal distances from face 14A of frame 14, and hinge point 12 and pin 22 equal distances from face 10A of door 10.

The direction of swing of the brace 16 as door 10 is closed is determined by the relative distances of hinge point 12 to pin 18 (E of FIG. 1), and hinge point 12 to pin 22 (F of FIG. 1). If E is greater than F, the brace 16 will swing clockwise in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, E has been chosen as less than F, and thus the latter motion will take place.

In the operation of the device, the arm 24 is normally in position C allowing the pin 22 to move in the aperture 20 as the door 10 is opened and closed. If it is desired that the door 10 be held open relative to frame 14, the door 10 is swung to its extreme position so that the pin 22 is in position A (FIG. 1). The arm 24 is then swung into position D, the depth of aperture 20 being sufiicient to allow movement of the pin 22 at the end of aperture 20 to an extent to allow such movement of the arm 24 to position D. It will be seen that the end surface portion 28 is now in the path of travel of the pin defined by its movement from position A to position B (i.e., if door 10 'were to be closed relative to frame 14). In fact, the configuration of the end surface portion 28 of the arm 24 is such that, as the pin 22 is moved from position A toward position B, that surface portion 28 cooperates with a portion 20A of the brace 16 defining aperture 20 to wedge the pin 22 therebet ween. This eifectively limits the movement of the pin 22 from position A to position B, which in turn acts to hold the door 10' open relative to frame 14. When it is desired to close door 10, the door 10 need only be swung open to the extreme position to allow arm 24 to be moved to position C. This 3 will allow the pin 22 to slide freely in the aperture 20, and the door 10 to close.

With the preferred dimensions noted above, it has been found that the brace 16 seats between the frame 14 and door 10 when it is closed, providing a neat appearance with no inconvenient protrusions of door structure.

It Will be seen that herein is provided a device which is capable of selectively holding a door in an open position, being extremely simple of construction and operation. Furthermore, the device disclosed is capable of use in a variety of positions relative to the door and frame. Obviously, the invention can be carried out in many different ways, of which the embodiment shown and described is merely illustrative.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for selectively holding a door in an open position relative to a door frame comprising:

(a) a brace pivotally mounted to one of the frame or door and defining an elongated aperture therein;

(b) a pin in the other of the frame and door disposed within the aperture and slidable thereWithin relative to the brace to a first position when the door is moved to an open position relative to the frame and to a second position when the door is moved to a closed position relative to the frame;

(c) means mounted on the brace and selectively movable to limit the sliding movement of the pin relative to the brace from its first to its second position to hold the door in an open position, and selectively movable to allow sliding movement of the pin relative to the brace from its first to its second position,

whereby the door may be moved to its closed position; and ((1) wherein the brace is pivotally mounted to the frame and the pin is in the door, and wherein the selectively movable means mounted on the brace comprises an arm pivotable at a point disposed between said first and second positions to place a surface thereof in the path of the pin sliding in the aperture from its first to its second position, a portion of the brace defining the aperture cooperating with the surface of the arm to wedge the pin therebetween when said pin is so slid from its first to its second position and thereby limit such sliding movement. 2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the surface of the arm includes an arcuate concave portion into which the pin seats when said pin is wedged between said surface and said portion of the brace defining the aperture.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 543,863 8/1895 Hair 292270 622,5 5 6 4/ 1 899 Speirs 292270 1,775,116 9/1930 Bertrand 292268 2,927,813 3/1960 Cooper 292-270 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 81,287 7/ 1933 Germany.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner E. I. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner 

